This is just a warning thread for now, as I have no evidence the site has scammed yet, but all of the warning signs are there and it is my personal opinion that they should be fully avoided.Back Story:There was a user that posted a WTS (Want To Sell) thread in the Goods section yesterday selling 2 iPhones for $1200. His OP (Original Post) stated that he would do the sale with
ESCROW ONLY. Stating that he would only sell the phones if escrow was used, I believe it was to lure any potential buyers into a false sense of security/safety. When asked by another user what escrow he would use, he replied "www. thebtcescrow.com - used it a few times, seems decent."
However, the mod
malevolent was quick to research the website
www.thebtcescrow.com with a WHOIS search and found that it was created just one day before the iPhone sale thread was posted:
You think anyone's going to fall for your scam?
WHOIS thebtcescrow.com:
Updated Date: 2015-06-12T06:45:31.00Z
Creation Date: 2015-06-12T13:45:00.00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2016-06-12T13:45:00.00Z
Knowing that the website had only been created a day earlier, it became obvious that the claims posted on thebtcescrow.com website were 100% bullshit. The website claimed it had processed 10,000+ escrow transactions with a 100% satisfaction rate, and that they had 57 employees. There is even a physical location listed for the "thebtcescrow.com business", which is almost guaranteed to be a fake location, or a real location that is occupied by another business.
Also, as the website had only been up for 1 day, the user selling the iPhones had obviously not "used it a few times." It should be noted that the user selling the iPhones is most likely the creator of the scam website thebtcescrow.com.
I checked the site out, and there is not even any way of setting up escrow for a legitimate transaction on there...
I clicked "Create Escrow" after typing '1' into the "Bitcoin Amount" field and it gives you a Bitcoin address to deposit to and a 'tracking number', and says to notify them once you have received your item.
There are no fields to enter details about the transaction, no payment address for the seller's Bitcoin to be transferred to after the buyer receives the item, etc. These are all important factors that should be included when setting up escrow for a transaction, and they are not present on the site.
Do NOT fall for escrow scams like this! Scamming via a corrupt escrow provider is a common scam, and as a buyer you may feel more safe when the seller says they will only use escrow. However, only use a trusted & unbiased escrow provider like OgNasty, devthedev, or another highly trusted member.
